Enoch wh alley



- Y E. WHALLEY.

' SAFETY CRANK FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

"APPLICATION FILED AUG-14,1918.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

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A TTORNE Y.

E. WHALLEY.

SAFETY CRANK FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24, 191s.

Patented Oct. 7,1919.

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W 1 TN ESS INVENTOR.

BY I 7 away-m TTORNEY.

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tel-snari s vfie v v ette s Ea er Patented oat. 7,1919.

A pplication filedAugust 24, 1918. rSeriaLNo. 251,244.

To all whom it may co'ncern 1 Be it known that l, ENOGH WHALLEY, a

citizen ofthe; Uni-tedStates of America,,.and

a resident of Willimansett, in theico unty. of Hampden and State of :Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Safety-Crank for Explosive-Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvementstin manuallyoperated cranking or starting de vices for internal-combustion engines, and consists of'a fiXed, ribbed 1nember, an'd cer tain, peculiar, vibratory or oscillatory fingers carried byHthe-crank to act in conjunction. with said ribbed member, the new elements being-applied-to the starting elements in common use, all -as hereinafter set forth.

The primary object of my invention is to provide means, in the cranking deviceor mechanism of an explosive engine, whereby the engine. can be started byi hand in the ordinary manner, but injury to the operator, in case what is commonly known as: backfire occurs, is prevented, the effective connection then being. automatically broken. and the crank releasedand left free in the hand of the operator so that he can not be injured thereby.

In further object is to provide a device of this kind which is not only comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction, and simple in operation as well, but .one which may readily be applied to the ordinary motor-vehicle engine at. nominal cost and without requiring tliezinstallation of new clutch members or the making of radical changes in-the existing'cranking mechanism.

, Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following.description.

I attain the objects andvsecure the advantages'of my invention by the means illus: trated in the accompanying drawings, in which r Figure 1 isat-op plan of a preferred; form ofwmy safety device, showing the same applied to the starting nechanism .ofthe, engineof a Ford automobile,the crank proper being in inactive position; 2, a side elevation of; the parts, shown in thejpreceding-NiewaFig. 3, a top plan ofuthe de-vice, the crank being in active or operative position; Fig. l a fronteend elevation ,ofv the device'withoutthe crank which has been removed, and,Fig. 5,-an inside elevation of said,- crank. V a

Similar reference immerals designate similainparts throughout the severaliviews.

lwivill first describe briefly the old -.parts herein ill-shown of t the starting mechanism with which the new parts are incorporated to,p130 luee =the invention, and,will ,t hen :descr beln detail said new partsvand explain the, operation ,of the device as a whole.

,Journaled inf bearings 11 and 2, the axes ofiwhich areg in al l ement with eachother,

two shaftsfi and 4. Only the forwardend portion, ofthe shaft 3, or the portion that is-directly supported in the rear bearing 1,.,appjears. ,"lghis is the engine shaft. The other'is the cranking, or starting vshaft andihasits full support in the bearing 2 and; the bearing 1 which is adjacent to said bearingQ. :SeGlll-Qd ,0l1 adjacent terminals of th h shafts 3; and4, between the bearings 1, are ordinary clutch members 5 and 6, respectively. ,The shaft 4 is axially lrnovable imitate-r nse an i e y retained in; the forwargd; or outward, position, with the ;cl1itch; member ,6 .agai11st g the forward bearing- 1, as SllOEf Jl in Figs. ,1 a ndi2,= by means of a spiral-spring 7 whichrencirc les saidshagftbetween the bearing "2, or ,afmember attached thereto and presently to. be describ lend a ran Prop r which latter ,a1s;0 1 will presently be described. llhe front {end of the shaft 3 extends into the clutch member .6 to guide ,and centerthe latter when actuated into and ObltaQf: engagement with the clutch member 5, and there; sufficient clearance, in said first-named clutch member, between the adjacent shaft en ds therein, .to permit said ineinben 6..,t o be, noved rear wardly into ,engagement, with J said member 5.

,Gbviously, if; the shaft 4, be forced, backwandly gto, cause the c u-tch-member 6, to engage the elutchi niember 5, and saidshaft be notated, theshaft 3, is rotated in the same direetion and, when, the engine begins ,to operate by, its own powensaid, member. 6 is antomaticaglly disengaged from 7 said member5.

Rassing ,next to; the, new parts, it will be observed that-they comprisela circular plate or dislp), which is provided on its front face with ,a plurality of radial projections or ribs LOhand'the crank 8 which is provided on v the; inner or back-side with a palr of rearwardly-extending,

vibratory dogs ;or finge s-lli a The disk 9 is fastened against the front side or face of the bearing 2, by means of two lugs or ears 12 which extend from the back side of said disk onto the lateral flanges of said bearing, to which flanges said ears are secured by screws 13-13, and the shaft 4 passes through the axial center of said disk. The ribs 10 are not ratchet-teeth, but on the contrary more nearly resemble spur teeth, although as a matter of fact said ribs are not teeth in the true sense of the term, nor do they function as such, as will hereinafter be clearly seen. The ribs 7 in cross section are substantially V-shaped with convex sides. The crank 8 has a hub 14 which is keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 4 at the front end, and said crank also has a handle 15 at one end, about which there is, of course, nothing new, but additionally said crank extends beyond said hub in both directions, instead of in only one direction, and is provided above and below on each side of said hub, according to the position of the crank, with cross-bars 1616. And to this extent the crank 8 is different from the ordinary crank. The cross-bars 16 project laterally from the body of the crank beyond both longitudinal edges thereof.

The spiral spring 7 bears between adjacent sides or faces of the disk 9 and the crank 8 on its hub 14, and so tends to force said crank outwardly or forwardly and with it the shaft 4; and the clutch member 6.

Each finger 11 has a hub 17 which is received between a pair of lugs 18, on the back side of the crank 8, and pivoted to said lugs by a pivot 19. The axes of the two pivots 19 are in a plane common to each other and to the axis of the hub 14, and the two pairs of lugs 18 are at the intersections of the cross-bars 16 with the body portion of the crank, and equidistant from said last-named axis. Thus are the fingers 11 located on opposite sides of the shaft 1 and equidistant therefrom, and adapted to swing on their pivots in either direction from a common plane perpendicular or at right-angles to the back side of the crank 8. Furthermore, the fingers 11 are located bl their supporting parts and members in position to engage with their rear, free ends the disk 9 and its ribs 10. The length of each finger 11 is approximately equal to the distance which separates the crank 8 from the disk 9, when the former is in its forward, inactive position, and in any event said finger is more than equal in length to the amount of travel required on the part of the clutch member 6, assuming the same to be in engagement with the clutch member 55, entirely to disengage said member 6 from said member 5. The reason for this will appear presently.

It is desired to maintain the fingers 11 normally perpendicular to the back side of the crank 8, and to this end in the present case a pair of springs 20 is provided for each finger. The springs 20 in each pair are equal in size, length, resiliency, etc., and they have their outer or forward ends attached at 2121 to one or the other of the cross-bars 16, at points which are equidistant from the adjacent lugs 18, and their in ner or rearward ends attached at 2222 to opposite sides of one or the other of the finger 11, at points which are equidistant from the free end of the finger, said springs and finger being in a common plane.

Upon referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be clear that the fingers 11 may extend at right-angles to the crank 8, when the latter is in inactive position and the clutch members disengaged. This is true whenever the crank 8 is so positioned that the, rear ends of the fingers 11 can enter between the contiguous ribs 10 without being turned aside by said ribs or any of them. Usually the crank 8 is left, when in inactive position, with the handle 15 at the bottom, and, when said crank is thus left, the present arrangement of parts is such that the fingers 11 are between the ribs 10 in two pairs and positioned by the springs 20 at right-angles to the crank.

Each finger 11 can swing in either direction, against the resiliency of the spring 20 on either side, consequently the crank 8 can be rotated in either direction without interference on the part of the ribs 10.

The complete operation of the cranking pr starting mechanism is described as folows:

The handle 15, while in the position above noted, is grasped and the crank 8 turned in 105 the direction of the hands of a clock, and at the same time said crank is forced rearwardly, against the resiliency of the spring 7, until the clutch member 6 engages the clutch member 5, all in the usual manner, 110 when the shaft 3 is rotated. As the crank 8 begins to turn the fingers 11 ride out from between the ribs 10 and so enable said crank, with the shaft 1 and the clutch member 6, to be forced rearwardly (see Fig. 3), and said 115 fingers click past said ribs as said crank continues to rotate. The crank may be completely rotated one or more times or until the engine starts; or said crank may be only partially rotated in the aforesaid direction, 120 then reversed, after permitting it to come forward under the influence of the spring 7 to disengage the clutch members and en able said fingers to change the directions of their deflection, and again turned clock- 125 wise, repeating as often as is necessary to start the engine. Both methods are common, but the second is more generally employed. In the event, however, that the engine backfires and the shaft 3 is in con- 130 sequence rotated in reverse direction while the shaft 4 is coupled thereto, the free ends of the fingers 11, which .ends are at all times in position to be engaged by the-ribs 10, are engagedby two of said ribs, said ends slide along said ribsinto contact with theface of the disk 9,.and said fingers, by reason of their engagement with the ribs and disk: thus brought about, are swung on their pivots 19 into. right. angular relation ship with the crank 8 andlforce-the latter forward, thus disconnecting the clutch membersyfreeing. said crank fromthe influence and action of the engine shaft, and preventing injury to the operator who has the handle 15 in his grasp. The crank is freed and left inactive in the hand of the operator in ample time to safeguard the operator, as will be readily seen. Afterthe backfirethe cranking operation is resumed in like manner as before.

Although a single figure 11 would be sulficient to accomplish the desired result of throwing out the clutch whenever the en gine shaft is forcibly reversed, I prefer to provide two'of such fingers so that the. strain on the parts will beequalized and the force which actuates thejshaft 4 forward will be applied on both sides of said shaft in parallel planes therewith, instead of being applied ononev side only, as inthe case of singlefinger. The advantage of distributing and equalizing the force and strain is obvious. It is believed that more than. two fingers would rarely be required or even desired.

The'springs 20 serve to keep the. fingers 11 in. position ready for anyemergency, regardlessof the-position or direction of rotation of the crank 8. r

The fingers 11 are really thrust rods which, whenever their direction of travel is changed, 'coact with i the disk 9 and its ribs to forcethe crank positively and irresistably forward, provided said crank be rearwardly disposed. 9

When the crank 8 is rotated the fingers 11 are deflected behind in the direction of rotation of said crank, and said fingers are crosswise relative to each other, but, of course, on widely'separated planes. More or less change in theshape and size and. even in the construction and arrange ment of the parts of this device may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my in vention or exceeding. the scope of what is claimed.

I am aware that various safety, cranking or starting devices, which include true ratchet and pawl elements, have been invented, and do not, therefore, seek to cower broadly any structure in which the throwout mechanism depends upon a simple' ratchet and pawl: or meohanical. equivalent thereof.

\Vhat :I claim asmy invention, and. de sire to secure by Letters Patent,- is- 1..In adevice of the class described an endwise-movable shaft, a crank on said shaft, a swinging member extending from the arm of said crank, yielding means-to retain said swinging member normally in extended position approximately ..at .rightangles to the orbicular plane of said arm, said member being adapted to swing .in either directionfrom said position, and. a fixed member provided with ribs which are in the path of said swinging member.

2. in a device of the class described, an endwise-movable shaft, a crank on said shaft, a swinging member extendingfrom the arm of said crank, yielding means arranged to retain said swinging member normally approximately at right-angles to the orbicular plane of said arm, and a fixed member provided with ribs which are in the path of said swinging member, the latter being adapted to'swing in either direction from normal position.

3. The combination, in a device of the class described, with an engine shaft and clutch. member thereon, and a fixed member provided on its face with a seriesof ribs spaced apart, of a starting shaft and a clutch member thereon, said last-named shaft having endwise movement and extending through said fixed member, a crank on said last-named shaft, a finger pivotally con nected with the arm of said crank, and resilient means normally to retain said finger at approximately right-angles to'the orbicular plane of said arm, said finger being adapted to swing in either direction from normal position, and being.located with its free end in engaging relation to said ribs,

and of a length sufficient to engage said fixed member and force said crank, with said startingshaft and said clutch member thereon, forward far enough to separate said clutch members, in the event said engine shaft be rotated in reverse direction while said clutch members are in engagement.

4. The combination, in. a device of the class described, with an engine shaft and a clutch member thereon, and a fixed member provided on'its face with a plurality of ribs spaced apart, of a starting shaft and a clutch member thereon, said starting shaft having endwise movement and extending through said fixed member, a crank on said starting shaft, a finger pivotally attached to the arm of said crank, and springs arranged normally to retain said finger at approximately rightangles to the orbicular plane of said arm, said finger being adapted to swing in either direction from normal position and being located with its free end in engaging relation to said ribs, and of a length suflicient to engage said fixed member and force said crank, with said starting shaft and said clutch member thereon, forward far enough to separate said clutch members, in the event said engine shaft be rotated in reverse direction while said clutch members are in engagement.

5. The combination, in a device of the class described, with an engine shaft and a clutch member thereon, and a fixed member provided on its face with a series of ribs spaced apart, of a starting shaft and a clutch member thereon, said starting shaft having endwise movement and extending through said fixed member, a crank on said starting shaft, the arm of said crank being provided with supporting means, a finger pivotally connected with said supporting means and adapted to swing into and in either direction out of a position at right-angles to the orbicular plane of said supporting means, and resilient means arranged normally to retain said finger approximately in said p0- sition, said finger being located with its free end in engaging relation to said ribs, and of a length sufficient to engage said fixed member and force said crank, with said starting shaft and said clutch member thereon, forward far enough to separate said clutch members, in the event said engine shaft be rotated in reverse direction while said clutch members are in engagement.

6. The combination, in a device of the class described, with an engine shaft and a a to retain the latter, with said starting shaft and clutch member thereon, in the forward position, a finger pivotally connected with the arm of said crank, and resilient means normally to retain said finger at approximately right-angles to said crank, said finger being adapted to swing in either direction from normal position and being located with its free end in engaging relation to said ribs, and of a length suflicient to engage said fixed member and force said crank, with said starting shaft and said clutch member thereon, forward far enough to separate said clutch members, in the event said engine shaft be rotated in reverse direction while said clutch members are in engagement.

7. The combination, in a device of the class described, with an engine shaft and a clutch member thereon, and a fixed member provided on its face with a series of ribs spaced apart, of a starting shaft and a clutch member thereon, said starting shaft having endwise movement and extending through said fixed member, a crank on said starting shaft, the arm of said crank being provided with supporting means, a finger pivotally connected with said supporting means and adapted to swing into and in either direc tion out of a position at right-angles to the orbicular plane of said supporting means, and springs attached to said supporting means, on opposite sides of said-arm and to opposite sides of said finger, and adapted normally to retain the latter approximately in said position, said finger being located with its free end in engaging relation to said ribs, and of a length sufficient to engage said fixed member and force said crank, with said starting shaft and said clutch member thereon, forward far enough to separate said clutch. members, in the event said engine shaft be rotated in reverse direction while said clutch members are in engagement.

8. The combination, in a device of the class described, with an engine shaft and a clutch member thereon, and a fixed member provided on its face with a plurality of ribs spaced apart, of a starting shaft and a clutch member thereon, said starting shaft having endwise movement and extending through said fixed member, a crank on said starting shaft, said crank having arms which extend beyond said shaft in two directions, ,said arms having lateral projections on both sides of the transverse plane of its axis, and also having in its longitudinal center at the back supporting means, fingers pivotally connected with said supporting means and adapted to swing into and in either direction out of a position at right-angles to said crank, and springs attached to opposite sides of said fingers and extending and being attached to said lateral projections, said fingers being located with their free terminals in engaging relation to said ribs, and of a length sufiicient to engage said fixed member and force said crank, with said starting shaft and clutch member thereon, forward far enough to separate said clutch members, in the event said 1 engine shaft be rotated in reverse direction while said clutch members are in engagement.

9. The combination, in a device of the class described, of an engine shaft provided with a clutch member, an endwise-movable starting shaft provided with a clutch member, bearings for said shafts, a disk fixed to the front end of the foremost starting-shaft bearing and encircling said starting shaft, said disk having on its face a plurality of ribs spaced apart, a crank 011 said starting shaft, a spring between said disk and said crank to force the latter, with said starting shaft and clutch member thereon, forward, a finger pivotally connected with the arms of said crank, and yielding means normally to retain said finger approximately perpendicular to the orbicular plane of said arm, said finger being adapted to swing in either direction from normal position and the event said engine shaft be rotated in rebeing located with its free end in engaging verse direction While said clutch members relation to said ribs, and of a length sufiiare in engagement.

cient to engage said fixed member and force ENOCH VVHALLEY. said crank, With said starting shaft and Witnesses:

said clutch member thereon, forward far F. A. CUTTER,

enough to separate said clutch members, in ARTHUR A. BETH.

Copies of this patent mav be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

